Russell Franklin

By focusing on understanding what his clients are looking to achieve, and leveraging his experience, Russell strives to provide creative solutions that allow his clients to meet their business objectives. In some instances, this amounts to Russell providing advice to clients throughout the entire lifecycle of a target including acquiring the asset, managing the asset and, where applicable, ultimately disposing of the asset. His clients can be found in numerous industries including healthcare, life sciences, retail, financial services, and media.

Before joining Morgan Lewis, Russell was a partner in the corporate practice of another global law firm, resident in New York.

• Bristol Myers Squibb in its acquisition of a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher from bluebird bio, Inc. for $95 million
• American Regent in its acquisition of HBT Labs, Inc., a pharmaceutical company that has a pipeline of generic and 505(b)(2) pharmaceutical products that target various treatment indications including cancer and central nervous system disorders
• Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in its cross-border, multi-asset externalization transaction with Oak Hill Bio under which Takeda will receive an upfront payment, an ownership stake in Oak Hill Bio and potential milestones and royalty payments in exchange for six acquired and licensed programs
• Shiseido Americas Corporation in its $700 million sale of three cosmetic brands - bareMinerals, BUXOM, and Laura Mercier, to AI Beauty Holdings, an affiliate of Advent International
• The New York Times Company in its $550 million acquisition of The Athletic, a global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of more than 200 clubs and teams in the United States and around the world
• Axispoint Technology Solutions Group, Inc. in its acquisition of dinCloud, Inc., a cloud service provider
• Far Peak Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, in its merger with Bullish, a technology company that develops financial services for the digital assets sector whereby Bullish will become a public company
• PTC in its $715 million acquisition of Arena Solutions, Inc., a software as a service product lifecycle management platform providerPlatinum Equity, with local counsel in Australia, in connection with the sale of Sensis, an Australian digital, marketing and directory services provider, to Thryv Holdings, Inc.
• Far Peak Acquisition Corporation in connection with its $550 million initial public offering of units consisting of ordinary shares and warrants
• The New York Times Company in its acquisition of Serial Productions, the company that produces the “Serial” podcast, and its strategic alliance with “This American Life” that will enable it to continue to collaborate on long-form audio stories with Serial Productions
• Henry Thayer Company in the sale of substantially all of its assets and liabilities to L’Oréal USA, Inc. 
• Perrigo Company in its $113 million acquisition of the oral care assets of High Ridge Brands
• The New York Times Company in its acquisition of Audm, a subscription-based audio app that offers listeners longform journalism read aloud by celebrated audiobook narrators
• Far Point Acquisition Corp in its $2.6 billion acquisition of Global Blue (Switzerland), a payment services company for international shopping
• A pharmaceutical company in its bid to acquire certain assets of another specialty pharmaceutical company through a 363 bankruptcy sale
• Hostess Brands, Inc. in its $65 million sale of Superior Cake Products, Inc., an in-store bakery business, to Sara Lee Frozen Bakery
• Perrigo Company plc (Ireland) in its $750 million acquisition of Ranir, LLC, an oral care company globally, with a comprehensive portfolio of more than 300 highly customized oral care solutions, including power toothbrush heads, power toothbrush handles, whitening strips, manual toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, dentures, and travel kits
• The largest private healthcare company in Peru in connection with its acquisition by a leading multi-format retailer in Latin America
• A financial services macro research firm and registered broker dealer in connection with its acquisition by a national financial services provider
• A China based private equity fund in connection with its purchase of the entities that manufacture and distribute SharkNinja branded consumer products
• Counseled a private equity company in connection with the acquisition (and corresponding financing) of Super Stroke, a maker of golf grips and related accessories
• A private equity company in connection with the sale of Waterpik to a consortium of private equity companies
• A private equity company in connection with a leveraged recapitalization of Waterpik, via a senior secured first lien loan, in anticipation of its eventual disposition
• An international investment bank in its acquisition of Drayer Physical Therapy Institute, a leading operator of outpatient physical therapy clinics focused on treating sports-related injuries
• A local sports broadcasting entity in connection with the sale of a majority interest in YES Network to 21st Century Fox
• An international investment bank in connection with the purchase of Colombian coal mining assets and related port and railway assets of Brazil’s Vale
• An international investment bank in connection with the formation and ongoing management of Legends Hospitality, a full-service entertainment, sports, and hospitality service provider that partners with colleges and universities, professional sports teams, and municipalities
• A full-service hospitality provider in connection with the formation of a joint venture with an affiliate of IMG Worldwide
• Various companies in the financial services space with respect to negotiating third-party vendor contracts in light of material cybersecurity concerns